Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
Learn more

Side Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Side and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Side and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,144 per month in Side vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Side $1,144
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,790 per month in Side vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Side $1,790
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,435 per month in Side vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Side $2,435
Medellin $3,186

Side is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Side sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 ₺511

$8.09 COP 25.4K

26.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.76 ₺1,483

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-36.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 ₺471

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₺171

$3.01 COP 9,485

14.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ₺109

$1.80 COP 5,660

21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.48

$1.41 COP 4,443

-72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ₺200

$3.18 COP 9,990

26.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₺303

$5.75 COP 18.1K

5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₺53.1

$1.51 COP 4,751

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₺48.33

$2.38 COP 7,480

-59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₺130

$1.77 COP 5,573

47.46%

Eggs

$2.29 ₺114

$2.89 COP 9,093

-20.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ₺683

$10.19 COP 32.1K

34.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 ₺307

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-37.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.79 ₺1,335

$13.99 COP 44.0K

91.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-60.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 ₺123

$1.55 COP 4,883

58.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₺69.1

$2.18 COP 6,867

-36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$2.18 COP 6,870

-41.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₺39.51

$1.96 COP 6,174

-59.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₺35.38

$1.59 COP 5,000

-55.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₺87.0

$1.15 COP 3,604

51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.63

$1.24 COP 3,911

-38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₺139

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 ₺690

$13.68 COP 43.0K

1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₺84.1

$1.66 COP 5,221

1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺156

$2.26 COP 7,103

38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.55

$1.17 COP 3,674

-41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ₺61.7

$1.27 COP 3,989

-2.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ₺49.64

$2.05 COP 6,442

-51.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₺333

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-21.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₺75.2

$1.35 COP 4,237

11.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

23.56%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

10.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$76.7 ₺3,824

$170 COP 533.7K

-54.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.57 ₺527

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-21.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 ₺1,152

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-17.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₺2,632

$43.70 COP 137.5K

20.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 ₺402

$6.91 COP 21.7K

16.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$507 ₺25.3K

$797 COP 2.5M

-36.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺544.1K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.20 ₺2,302

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-45.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₺2,937

$58.0 COP 182.3K

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 ₺7,812

$135 COP 424.6K

16.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,842

$97.9 COP 307.9K

19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₺20.9K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-65.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.1K

$642 COP 2.0M

-52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₺37.9K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-62.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 ₺28.5K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-43.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₺71.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-65.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₺50.7K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-46.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

10.94

249.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Side

$302 26.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 112% $339

Groceries & Markets

Side

$289 25.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.8% $8

Eating Out

Side

$194 17%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 12.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$171 14.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.9% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 91.4% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$69 6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Side

$9 * 0.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 941% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Side versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $297 – making Side the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

8 h behind Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Side Medellin 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Side
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Side vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,717 per month in Side and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Side, where all-in costs run around $1,144, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Side it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Side – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.